Take Me With You
by Kitty Cullen-03
Summary: After Dumbledore's death, Harry, Ron and Hermione plan to leave on their hunt for Horcruxes. Ginny wanted to go. Did Harry really think a simple "no" would be enough to stop her? ON HIATUS!
1. Prologue

**This story is dedicated to Merlyn the Wizard, who so kindly reviews one of my other stories. I greatly appriciate it, and I hope the story makes her happy :)**

**Disclaimer: all characters belong to JK rowling**

"I can't believe Dumbledore is dead," I said to Harry as we walked back towards the castle. The grief that was hanging in the air was palpable, most of it rolling off of Harry in waves. It broke my heart. He had lost so much, and all I want to do is give him a little piece back. I would do whatever it took.

"I know, Gin. I can't help but feel like it's all my fault. If I could have just gotten to my wand…" He looked down, shaking his head at the ground. I pulled him into a hug.

"Don't, Harry. There's nothing you could have done. Snape had it planned from the start. I doubt any of us could have stopped him. And, thanks to you, we all made it out alive." I hoped these words would sink in, but somehow I doubted they would. He just looked at me, letting his hands fall away from mine. I could see _something _behind his eyes, but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Listen, Ginny. I'm not coming back here after this. I've got…something…to do, and if I don't go off and do it now, it's only going to get worse." I cringed at his words. I knew something like this was coming. I couldn't help but think that this "boy who lived" complex was going to be the death of him. My poor, sweet boy. I wasn't going to mourn the loss of my 6th year at Hogwarts-surely, when this was over, I could come back and finish. Surely helping Harry was more important than studying for NEWTS!

"I understand, Harry, I do. Mum's not going to be happy, what with Ron and myself taking off-not to mention you and Hermione as well! But we'll make it work. The sooner you take care of, well, whatever it is you have to take care of, the sooner this will all be over." I smiled at him encouragingly. We were alone in on the grounds now, everyone having either returned to Hogsmeade or to the castle getting ready to go home. The only sound we could hear was Fawkes in the distance, singing his mourning song at the loss of his closest friend. When I looked into Harry's eyes, I saw something I didn't understand.

"No, that's not what I meant. _I'm_ leaving, Ginny. Not you, or Ron, or Hermione. I've got to do this alone. This"-he said, pointing between the two of us-"has to stop. I couldn't live with myself if they tried to hurt you, and they would. They would do whatever it took to get to me! Where do you think they would go first?" I snorted at him.

"Do you _honestly_ think that Ron and Hermione are going to let you take this on alone? You've got to be mental! They care about you just as much as I do, and I _will_ be a part of this!" I stomped my foot. I couldn't help but feel childish. Just then, Ron and Hermione appeared, having noticed that we hadn't joined them in the common room.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, looking back and forth between us. His eyes narrowed, and I could see Hermione place her hand on his arm as if to placate him.

I turned towards them. "_Apparently,_ Harry has decided to take off on some unknown mission, leaving the three of us behind!" I fumed. It was three against one now. It was Ron who spoke again.

"Blimey, Harry! You can't really be planning on leaving without the two of us!" he said, chagrinned. Wait a minute-_two _of us?

"Three of us, Ronald! If you think I'm staying behind, you've got another thing coming!" I was red in the face now, as I fumed at my brother in outrage. One of the biggest downsides to growing up in a house full of boys was that they treated you like you were something breakable all the time. Hadn't I proved myself enough? First at the ministry-I was in 4th year!-and then again just the other day? "I have just as much of a right to be there as you all do! This is _my _fight, too!"

"No, Ginny! Under no circumstances are you coming with us! It's much to dangerous for you-I don't want to have to look after you all the time!" Ron's words stung. Never once had I asked to be looked after!

"Listen to yourself, Ronald! I'm not a child! I can take care of myself-haven't I proved that much? Haven't I?" The angry tears were falling now. I very rarely cried-that was another thing you gained from growing up in a house full of boys. Crying showed weakness, and I was _not_ weak. I turned towards Harry, trying to make him understand.

"No, Ginny. Ron's right. I don't want you there-I couldn't bare it if something happened to you. I don't know where this is going, and I don't know how long it will take." He looked down again. I knew he was trying to protect me, the stubborn git. How long would it take before he saw that I didn't need protecting? I turned towards Hermione, hoping that she at least was on my side.

"Hermione? Tell them! Tell them I can hold my own!" I pleaded with her. We had been friends for so long-she had seen me at my worst. She was the sister that I always wanted-surely, if anyone was on my side, it would be her. She bit her lower lip and turned away from me.

"I think Harry's right, Ginny. I mean, think about your parents!!" Hermione rushed. I scoffed.

"So Ron gets to run off into the sunset, and I have to stay here? That's not fair!" I sounded like a child, but I was determined to get my point across. "Why do you all treat me this way? I'm not a baby, and it's time you realized that. Harry, if you care about me, you'll let me go with you. The alternative is too much for me to think about. Did you ever stop and think that maybe, just maybe, I'd be an asset, here?" I stared at him, red-faced and angry. I saw no hint of conceding in his eyes.

"Ginny, I can't risk you like that! We've been over this!" he fumed, grabbing me by the shoulders. For a moment I thought he was going to shake me, and I narrowed my eyes.

"And you would sacrifice Ron and Hermione like that?" I asked.

"That's different," he started. "They know what they're getting into. They're a part of this. I need their help."

"And what about _my_ help, Harry? What about me? I'm smart-you know that! I know what it would mean, if I went with you. I _know._ But I don't care, Harry! I want to be with you. I can help." I tried to convey with words-to make him see what I was feeling. The thought of them, going off alone into the unknown, burned me inside. I couldn't stay home, or go back to school, knowing they were out there, and not knowing what was happening. I would rather die. If he wouldn't agree to take me, I'd find a way around it. He could tell me no all he wants, but it won't stop me from getting what I want. He should know me better than that! "When do you plan on leaving?" I asked him.

"I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Ron said we had to stay for Bill's wedding. It would give us a little time to prepare, and the day after we could leave before everyone gets up. No one will be the wiser." I chuckled internally at this. He must have thought I'd given in, when in reality I had just learned some very valuable information. I was pretty good at disillusioning myself-it's something you pick up growing up with Fred and George.

"Thank you for finally understanding, Gin. I just couldn't bare it…" he trailed off, and the three of them headed off towards the castle. I was going, whether they liked it or not.


	2. Good Timing

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Congratulations to JK Rowling, however, who won the best-idea-in-the-world award.**

**Again, this is for Merlyn the Wizard. _He_ is such a nice reviewer, and forgives me when I make word slips :)**

Bill and Fleur's Wedding

"At least _that's_ over with," Ron said as the four of them walked up to the house. The ceremony had gone as planned, and the guests had finally made their ways back home. They were headed, thankfully, back to the house, where they could go to bed. At least, that's what I wanted them to think. They walked into the kitchen, where Molly and Arthur were sitting having tea.

"You guys go on. I'll be up in a minute, Hermione," I said as the four of them kissed and hugged my parents goodnight. Even through all of this it made me warm up inside seeing the way her family treated Harry. They loved him like a son.

Nobody questioned me tonight-everyone was much too tired.

"What is it, Ginny dear," my mother asked, although she looked ready to fall asleep in her tea.

"I just had something I wanted to ask Dad. Why don't you go on to bed-I'll clean up. You've had enough to do today," I said as she gathered the dishes and set them in the sink. I could do them by hand afterwards-a downside to being underage. Mum looked grateful as she moved down the small hallway, dragging her feet.

"What's on your mind, Gin-bug?" Dad asked. I winced at the nickname he had given me at birth. I took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing, _I thought.

"Dad, you know what Ron, Hermione and Harry are planning to do tomorrow, right?" I started, playing with my hair.

"Unfortunately yes. I hate to see them go and put themselves in danger like that, but we can't stop them. And besides, I think Harry has it in him to finish this."

"What would you think about…me…going along?" I met his eyes and blushed. It was hard to keep up a hard exterior around him. Sometimes I thought it was because he was the only one in my family who really _got_ me. I watched him think. That was the good thing about Dad-he would always think it through for me. If I would have asked Mum this, she would have flown off the handle at me and locked me in the cellar until I was of age and Harry could come take me away. Inwardly I snorted.

"To be honest, Gin, I wouldn't like it at all. But then again, I'm not happy about Ron going either. It wouldn't be fair for me to make that decision for you. Have you asked Harry about this?" he asked as he tilted his head and moved to brush my hair from my eyes. I was hoping he wouldn't ask me that.

"Yeah, see, Dad…that's the problem. Harry doesn't want me to go. But before you say anything about that, I think he doesn't want me to go because he still thinks I'm too young! But _you_ know that's not true. You know I'm capable! I'm just as good as Ron with magic-better, even!" I rushed, before he had time to interrupt me. I was glad I did. I could see his face change as I made my point. He looked resigned, and I wondered how much this was taking out of him. For a moment I wondered what it would be like to have to watch two of his children willing to go off to battle-and to _know_ the rest of them would follow if they knew. I guessed he was proud and scared at the same time.

"I see your point. Which leads me to ask, why have you come to me?" I rolled my eyes. I was surprised he didn't see my problem straight away.

"Well, of _course_ I have no problem with sneaking away with them, but I wouldn't be able to do magic." He just stared at me. _Sometimes, Father, I wonder about you, _I thought. "The Trace, Dad! I couldn't do any magic without being tracked down! And that wouldn't be any good at all, considering we'd be hiding from, well, everyone. So…I was thinking that you'd be able to…take it off." His eyes widened at my request.

"Ginny, that's not easy to do. Do you know that I would have to get that information from the ministry without telling anyone? It's as good as stealing. I don't know that I could do that." _If there was ever a time to play the daughter card, it was now._

"I _know_ that, Dad. And I wouldn't ask if it didn't mean the world to me. I couldn't live here after they're gone, not knowing what's happening to them! It would kill me. Don't make me go through that." I pleaded.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, rising from his chair and patting me on the shoulder on his way to the bedroom. I headed up to my own room, hoping Hermione had gone to sleep. The less explaining to do, the better.

One Week Later

I was beginning to get worried. Quite frankly, I was amazed that Harry, Ron and Hermione had stuck around this long after the wedding. I was afraid that they were going to disappear any second, and I didn't have what I needed to go with them. Dad had kept silent all week, and I could only guess that he was doing. I just knew that time was running out.

Hermione had been spending a great deal of time packing an enormous number of things into a very tiny bag, Ron had been slowly turning green, and Harry was growing incredibly distant. My guess was that he was trying to 'let me down easy,' and give me less of a reason to worry. He didn't know me at all!

Dinner was a quiet affair that evening. Mum knew what was going on-she had done her best to try and talk the three of them out of it, to no avail. She'd been sulking around since the wedding, and wasn't much in the mood for small talk. I'm guessing the rest of them were too focused on their escape. Hermione and I were clearing the plates when Dad asked me to step out into the garden with him. I kept as calm as possible and followed him out.

"I've done it, Ginny. At first I was afraid that there would be some kind of spell I'd need to do. I did some very subtle chatting with a few of the men who handle that sort of thing, and I found out that it really just came down to paperwork. Can you imagine that? All the magic in the world to watch our children, and it was really just all written down? So I destroyed your paper. You were so close to being of-age that they weren't _really_ watching anyway, so it wasn't difficult. I think it was a clean break." He grinned at me sadly. I threw myself into his arms.

"Oh, thank you Dad! I knew you could do it. You have no idea what this means to me. I promise I'll make you proud. I promise I'll try and keep them safe." He just nodded and motioned for me to head back inside. It was getting late, and I was guessing my friends were hiding out in Ron's room plotting. It was easier at night, with everyone concentrating on getting to bed.

I walked into Ron's room without knocking. I almost didn't make it in time. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all standing in the center, holding one another's arms. Hermione had her little bag with her. It looked like they were getting ready to turn. I flew through the door and launched myself at Harry. I caught him around the waist just as they turned to disapparate.

I _did not_ like this feeling! It felt like I was being pushed through a tube and I couldn't breathe. I held on to Harry as if my life depended on it-in fact, I was pretty sure that it did right now. When I thought I was going to pass out, we landed. Hard.

"Oof!" I heard Ron exclaim as he hit. I was still tangled around Harry. He was thrashing wildly, trying to get onto his feet. When he did, I wished for a moment I had stayed home. I don't think I have ever seen him _that_ mad. His eyes were hard as he stared down at me, his face a mask of disapproval.

"What the HELL, Ginny?" he screamed at me. _At least I made it this far,_ I thought.

**Now we're getting started!**


	3. Company

"I told you I was coming," I said insolently, trying to sound firm. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as I noticed Harry's eyes darken even further. Yep, I was pretty sure I'd never seen him this angry. Maybe it would do him some good. Not sure how good it was going to be on me.

"How did you manage it?" he asked. I thought about telling him how much he looked like my mum right then, but that probably wasn't the best course of action. I was amazed at how sarcastic my mind could be at a time like this. I took a moment to look around-I didn't know where we were. Some forest, by the looks of it. Ron was gaping at me, like the fish he was, and Hermione looked like she was mulling something over-so like her. I was guessing she was trying to figure out the whole Trace thing.

"Easy. I went to Ron's room to say goodnight, and I saw you three holding hands. I thought this was probably what you were doing. I saw my chance and I took it." He couldn't possibly have thought I was just going to send them off without a fight!

"Ginny, I thought I told you it wasn't safe for you!" Harry fumed. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him, the overprotective buffoon.

"And I thought I told _you _that I didn't care what you thought! You guys-all of you-you're my family. I wasn't just going to sit home and mope and wait for you to save the day or die. I had to be a part of it. You know how that feels." He should. I saw his expression soften a bit. Hermione couldn't help herself anymore, she had to know-I could see it in her eyes. The want for knowledge building and building until she exploded. She would always be the perpetual student.

"How are you going to get around the Trace? I mean, you're not seventeen yet. You won't be able to perform any magic without being caught!" The crease between her brow was growing deeper by the minute. Better tell her what happened before her face freezes that way, I chuckled to myself.

"I had Dad take it off. I told him what I wanted to do, and he helped me. It all came down to some paperwork. He said since I was so close to turning of age that they weren't really keeping too close of an eye on me. He destroyed my paperwork. I can do as much magic as I want," I grinned. I loved it when I impressed Hermione. Harry just raised his eyebrows at me, looking a bit resigned. Just when I thought I had won them over, Ron found his voice.

"Go home." He stated simply, staring me in the eyes. He was bright red, and I was afraid he would catch on fire if he wasn't careful. The parental tone he was using with me wasn't going to work. It always got my blood boiling!

"Nope. You're not my father, Ron, although it may be news to you! My father-our father-gave me permission to be here, and I'm pretty sure he takes supremacy over you." I threw at him, frowning and moving away from him. Prat.

"Ginny, you can't be here! What good will you do?" he had grabbed me by the arm and spun me around to face him. My eyes narrowed at the injustice.

"Funny. I asked myself the same thing about you! What are you going to do, whimper at Voldemort? Turn red and yell at him? I can at least do better than that. At least _I_ didn't get attacked by brains at the Ministry! I held my own!"

"Oh, yeah, breaking your ankle was really holding your own! Good job, Ginny. This time, let's shoot for both ankles!" Quite frankly I was surprised that neither Harry or Hermione had come to my rescue yet. I looked towards them pleadingly, but they only looked back flabbergasted. Looks like I'm on my own.

"Shove off, Ron! I can handle this. I don't know if you've noticed but I _am_ a big girl now. And, sad as it might make you, you're going to have to realize that I'm better at magic than you one day. Frankly I'm surprised that Harry bothered to bring you along at all." Okay, so that might have been hitting below the belt, but come on! Finally Harry stepped in.

"Enough, the both of you. Ron, I'm not going to make Ginny go home." I beamed at him. "Ginny, you're going to have to pull your own here, and let Ron alone. I know how you two can go on, but there can be none of that. Do you both understand?" Again, there was my Mum popping out of him. But I had won, and that was all that mattered.

"Sure thing, Harry. I can keep my mouth shut if he can," I said, jabbing my thumb in Ron's direction. He had taken to sitting on a downed tree, while Hermione patted him awkwardly on the head. "That reminds me, though. What _exactly_ are we doing here?" I remembered suddenly that I wasn't sure what this mission was.

"Oh. Right. You don't know. Well, sit down. It's a rather long story."

Harry told me everything, and now I was scared. I thought that Voldemort was just evil beyond the norm. I didn't know that he had cemented himself to this life in so many ways. How many Horcruxes again? Five, was it? And we didn't know anything about where to start. Not a thing. Not even an inkling. And now here we sat, in an abandoned field outside of town, with nowhere to go and no idea how to start. Fantastic.

"Glad you came now, Ginny?" Ron said snarkily in my direction. He had refused to look at me since Hermione set the tent up, with the exception of nasty little looks every now and then. I was ashamed at myself for even having to think about that question. Of course I was still glad. A little put off at first, sure, but happy none the less. I thought about if I had stayed home and immediately blanched.

"Piss off, Ron! I don't regret it. I'd be a mess sitting at home while you guys were out here risking your lives." Hermione, always keen to avoid a tussle, subtly stepped in.

"It's getting late. We'd do good to try and get some sleep, so we can try and come up with a plan tomorrow. The quicker we move, the better-we don't want Voldemort to get wise to our plan. The less he knows the better. I really don't think he's expecting much right away, but that doesn't mean anything." We settled in. Then I heard a noise.

"Harry, did you hear that?" I whispered as I looked over at his cot. His body was rigid, and I knew that he did. Fear slowly crept up from my toes as I drew my wand. The noise was closer now. I tried to convince myself that it was a raccoon, but deep down I knew better. I could see Hermione across from me slowly moving into action. She pulled on Ron's arm, and then reached for Harry's. I crept from my cot slowly as Harry in turn reached for me.

Hermione mouthed, "Hold on tight," as she prepared to turn on the spot to disapparate. I clutched Harry tightly. The tent flaps flew open, and I had just enough time to notice four strangers push through when everything went black.


	4. Hermione's World

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.**

"Who was _that?!_" I exclaimed once we stopped. I was clutching my chest, breathing heavily. I wasn't used to the sensation of apparition yet. The other three looked only marginally better than I did.

"I can't be sure," Hermione started, "but I think they must have been Death Eaters. Who else would come barging at us like that?" She looked worried. Harry looked at her like he was waiting for her to have all the answers. Sometimes I thought they expected too much from poor Hermione.

"How did they find us?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. We were in the middle of nowhere! What could have possibly triggered an attack like that?" She was pacing now. I wished I could come up with the solution. I can't think of why they would come at us like that-there's absolutely no reason! And Hermione is right-we were in the middle of nowhere. I thought for a second that maybe the trace wasn't off me after all, but I hadn't performed any magic.

Harry finally spoke. "Well, we'll just have to worry about that later. Our problem now is we have nothing. Our tent is gone, along with all of our supplies. We'll have to go to Diagon Alley." He sighed. We had just left. I didn't think that anyone even knew we were missing, until the attack. I couldn't process anything-my thoughts were running wild! Everything was too much. I looked at the sky-it was getting light. We hadn't even had a chance to sleep yet.

"You're absolutely right, Harry. I think if we're going to go, we'll have to go now. Whoever attacked us will probably be on the lookout. We should get ahead of them." She moved closer to us, grasping hands with Harry and then Ron. They looked at me expectantly. Oh, right. More apparition. Fantastic. Reluctantly I turned and grabbed Harry.

Hermione took us to a secluded corner behind Gringott's Wizard Bank. "This should do," she said. Looking around, you could tell it was early. There was barely anybody around. "Let's go," she said, leading the way. We rounded the corner.

I had a spit second to react. "Wait!" I screamed, grabbing onto Harry's cloak hood. He spun around and glared at me.

"What, Ginny? We need to get moving!" he said. I sighed at him, spun him around, and pointed. There, as tall as the building it was posted on, was a poster. It was a picture of Harry.

**Wanted**

**Considered Armed and Dangerous**

**If sited, please contact the Ministry of Magic Immediately**

"Oh, no, Harry!" Hermione whispered. We rushed back to the alley we came from, looking around as we went.

"I don't understand," he said. He furrowed his brow and slumped against the wall. "It's like every time I think I'm doing something right, something like this happens. I just don't know what to do anymore!" He pounded his fists against the ground. We all sat around him. The situation went from bad to worse in a matter of moments. There would be no way we could survive without any kind of shelter or food; especially since we have no idea how long this was going to take. As if on cue, something bounded out of the shadows.

"It's Dad's Patronus!" Ron exclaimed, pointing. Sure enough, a silver weasel was suddenly in our midst.

"_Ministry fallen. Voldemort in complete control. Knows what you're doing. Don't use his name! He'll find you that way. Stay out of sight."_ And then it disappeared. My eyes widened at the words of my father. _Ministry Fallen. Voldemort in complete control._ What does that even mean? What's happening now?

Before I had time to really think on the situation, Hermione spoke up. "We've got to get out of here. Now. I've got an idea, but we're going to have to move quickly. Diagon Alley is getting pretty busy-we can't risk getting sighted." I wanted to cry out loud. As much as I wanted to be free from this situation, I couldn't imagine being at home alone.

We Disapparated and ended up in a place I'd never seen. I peeked around the building we were hiding behind. Everyone was wearing Muggle clothes. I frowned.

"Muggle London. They'll never think of looking for us here. My mother has a bank account down the street-I think my name is on it. I can get us enough money to last a while. I can't believe they charmed _his_ name! It's actually quite brilliant. The only people who use his name are the people who are against him. It's a wonderful way to seek out the opposition." We were walking now, peeling off our robes as we went. Thankfully we had on Muggle attire underneath. She walked into the bank, and left us on the street. I really hoped she was able to get us a little bit of money-otherwise I didn't know what we were going to do.

A few minutes later, she walked out beaming. Ron hugged her, and Harry smiled. I just sighed in relief.

"I've got it! I think what we should do is get a hotel room for the night, and get back to work in the morning. There's nothing we can do now without a new plan. There's a Holiday Inn a few blocks from here." Ron looked puzzled.

"What's a Holiday Inn?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. Hadn't he paid _any_ attention in Muggle Studies?

"It's the name of a hotel, you dolt!" I said to him, sighing. How could I have come from the same family that created him? Sometimes I wondered.

"I hope they have Butterbeer," He replied.

**I apologize for the shortness of it. I wanted the next chapter to be longer, and I didn't want to cram too much into one. **


	5. The Locket

**Forgive my lateness. I've been working on a couple Twilight fics right now, and sometimes I get so obsorbed I can't help myself! But I also wanted to make sure this chapter was just right-it fell just perfectly in my head. Hope you like!**

The Holiday Inn was comfortable enough, but we couldn't use magic and we were still on edge from the almost-attack. Ron was thrilled when he saw the room-service menu-Hermione kindly explained that, by using the phone, the waiters would bring food to your room. ("Bloody Brilliant!" was his response.) We looked over the menu. I didn't recognize a few things on here, but Hermione told us to be adventurous. I ordered something called pepperoni pizza, and Ron opted for a 'hamburger.' Both Harry and Hermione laughed at our apprehension.

Once we were fed, it was time to get back to work. The closest Horcrux was the locket-at least it was the only one we knew about. We had been thinking for hours when Hermione all but fell out of the bed.

"R.A.B.! I've got it!" she danced, grabbing Harry by the shoulders. He looked quite alarmed. "Harry, don't you remember? Sirius's house! The room next to him said something about not entering without permission from his brother-Regalus Arcturus Black. R.A.B.! It's got to be in the house." She looked rather pleased with herself, as she always did when she had the answer. I rolled my eyes.

"That's great, Hermione! But…how exactly do you plan on getting into that house, now that Dumbledore's gone?" Ron asked, his mouth full of chips. She sank to the floor.

"I hadn't thought about it, really. I suppose…d'you think someone's there? One of…_his_ men? What's the harm in trying?" her face was pinched into a frown. Sneak into a house that could very well be full of Death Eaters. Let's go now, I thought sarcastically. I heard Harry sigh.

"Well, we're armed, so I suppose we could go take a look around. I expect that someone has been there, but I don't think they stayed around. They probably waited a few days to see if that's where we were going to go, but gave up. That's what I'd do, anyway. Do any of you even remember _seeing_ a locket?" I thought about it. I never paid that much attention to the goings on there, I was always too absorbed watching Harry. I flushed. I shook my head, and so did Ron. It was Hermione who had a blank expression on her face. She knew, and it wasn't good.

"I saw it. Remember when we were cleaning up, and we found that locket that wouldn't open?" Oh, no. Harry nodded, paling to match her. "I think we threw it away." This time it was Ron who leapt off the bed.

"Kreacher! That little freak squirreled away everything in that little hovel under the stairs. I'd bet ten Galleons, if I had them, that he's got it." I was stunned into silence. An idea from Ron? And a good one at that? We _must_ be at the end of our rope. I wasn't the only one dumbfounded.

"Why, Ronald, that's actually a brilliant idea!" Hermione exclaimed, thinking she was being generous. Ron scowled in reply.

"It happens sometimes, Hermione. Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. How about we make a trip in the morning, and see if we can recover it. I doubt very much that Kreacher stayed about after Sirius…passed on." And so we slept.

The next morning was a flurry of activity as we made plans to go. We wanted to be in and out, before someone had the chance to suspect. If it was anywhere, it would be where Kreacher slept-otherwise its gone and…we didn't want to think about those consequences. We weren't going to check out of the hotel just yet, we had enough money to stay for a while. We decided we'd head to the broom cupboard at the end of the hall and disapparate from there. I really didn't want to do more of that, it was rather unpleasant. But we went.

There wasn't anyone hanging outside of the building, so we breathed a sigh of relief. We walked in as quiet as we could, but leave it to Ron to cause a ruckus. He stumbled over the old umbrella holder by the door, very reminiscent of Tonks. I could have kicked him, but I didn't want to make any more noise. The kitchen was two floors down. I looked over at Harry, and I could almost feel the pain radiating from him. He hated to be back in this house, so empty without his Godfather. He had no one but us. Sometimes I wondered if he even planned to survive this trip.

Thankfully, we arrived in the kitchen without error. It was dark, dusty and very unbecoming. I wanted to choke on the smell-perhaps Kreacher had died?

"Ugh, what _is_ that?" Ron exclaimed, covering his nose. The three of us followed suit.

"I'm not sure. It almost smells like a Dungbomb. Or it might be the lack of cleaning for so long. I really don't care, so let's just hurry and be done with this." Hermione said, boldly walking towards the little cupboard door and pulling it open. I held my breath.

She reappeared, almost trembling with excitement. I could see her grin, even through the darkness and her hair. She had found it.

"It's here! We've done it! Oh, I can't believe the luck!" she was dancing-I grabbed her hand and took a turn with her. Harry spoiled our fun.

"How do we destroy it? Remember, not a one of us could open it, surely that's not changed."

Hermione nodded solemnly. "You're right. There isn't a spell to open it either. I did a bit of reading-disgusting books, I might add-and it's got to be some pretty heavy poison. Basilisk venom works, but that's all I know. Maybe Fiendfyre, but that's much too dangerous. We'll just have to figure that out later. It's important that we have it in our possession, though."

I nodded in agreement. Harry turned towards the stairs, and then stopped.

"Would you mind terribly if I ran up to Sirius' room for a moment? I'd like to get something that was his."

"Of course, go right ahead. We'll wait for you by the door." And the three of us made our way back up. One flight from the top, Ron stopped.

"What is it, Ron?" I asked impatiently.

"I think I left something here last time I was here. It'll only take a second, and then I'll be right back." He bolted up the stairs and around the corner. Hermione and I continued our trek, and then waited by the door. Harry was the first to reappear. I didn't ask him what he took. Suddenly, a strangled scream came from around the way.

"Argh!" followed by many loud thumps, and then silence. We bolted down the hallway and burst through into the room that Harry and Ron used to share. Two men with masks had him-one had his shoulders and the other had his legs. They turned to us when we entered, and we pulled our wands on them. Before the first spell was cast, they turned and disapparated.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed, running to the place where he disappeared. She fell to her knees, and I followed her down.


	6. A New Plan

**Sorry for the delay!**

Ron was gone.

I had no idea where they took him, or if he was even still alive right now. Hermione was on her knees in the spot he disappeared, sobbing mercilessly. Harry was still in the doorway, stunned. I acted first.

I walked towards Hermione and pulled her to her feet. "It's not going to bring him back. We've got to go find him." She nodded, still sobbing. Harry shook his head, and joined us in the center of the room.

"You're right. Hermione, did you get a glimpse of who grabbed him?" he asked.

She sniffed, "I think so. If I'm not mistaken, I think I saw Lucius Malfoy for certain. And I would bet money that you-know-who's set up shop in his house-where else would he go? All his followers know where it is, and the Malfoy's are notorious dark wizards. It makes sense."

Great. Any hope I had of finding Ron alive just fizzled out. Lucius wasn't known for his compassion. And those weren't hands I wanted to find my fate at. But I couldn't help but wonder-"Why Ron? I mean, surely they were here the whole time. They could have snatched any of us. I would have thought for sure Harry would have been priority." It just didn't make sense.

"About that," Hermione started, "think about it. Ron's not the quickest to draw his wand, so he would have been the easiest target out of us. And you-know-who knows Harry. He knows he would come looking for Ron with the rest of us in tow. Kidnap the weakest link, and the leader will follow. Why wouldn't they catch Ron?" she scoffed. Of course. It was Harry's nature to save his friends. But that meant…

"So does that mean they'll leave him safe until Harry comes after him?" If that was the case, we could come up with a better plan of attack. They would be expecting Harry to barge right in through the fireplace, wands a blazing.

"I think so." Hermione said. "It wouldn't do them any good to kill him. Most likely they'll just keep him there while they wait. I think it might buy us some time. Harry-do you have any other theories about the whereabouts of the rest of the Horcruxes?"

"Maybe. You-know-who collected things-important things. And where else was he most comfortable when he was younger? Hogwarts! All of the founders left something behind-we have one of them. This is Slytherins locket. We know Hufflepuff left a cup, and Griffyndor a sword. That leaves Ravenclaw." He was pacing as he thought.

"You're right, Harry, but whatever she left behind hasn't been seen in…well, ever. How do you propose looking for something that's never been found?" Good point. Hogwarts had a lot of ground to cover, and we didn't even know what we were looking for. Surprisingly, Harry grinned.

"All the houses have ghosts, Hermione. I'd bet my weight in Galleons that the ghost of Ravenclaw house knows something." Hermione looked stunned-she wasn't used to being outwitted.

"Wow, Harry. That's…great! But how are we going to get into Hogwarts? We can't exactly just go waltzing in."

"We'll use the map, and the cloak. It'll be tight, but I think we can all fight, seeing as Ginny's so small." He grinned at me after throwing a backhanded compliment. I rolled my eyes, but nodded. "There are hidden passageways all the way around. We can go through Honeydukes. If we go near enough to dinner, everyone will be in the great hall-including the ghosts. All we would have to do is wait for her." Finally, a plan. And a good one at that!

Later That Night

"Ow, Hermione, watch it!" I hissed, having once again been stepped on. Tight was the understatement of the year.

"Be quiet! We can't risk getting caught." Harry shushed as we got closer to the entrance to the school. The walk seemed to take forever considering we had to watch every step we made. With the new regime at school, it was almost certain someone would be lurking around the hallways. When we got there, our timing was perfect. As Harry predicted, everyone was in the Great Hall. We peeked in, searching for the ghost of Ravenclaw.

"Does anyone even know her name?" Hermione whispered. Harry and I both shook our heads no. "Look! Here she comes!"

She glided towards us, completely unaware. She was in a long, flowing gown. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back, and the ornament she wore on her head looked like it could have been a jewel-if she wasn't transparent.

"Psh! Hey!" Harry whispered, trying to get her attention. She turned, seeing no one. Harry stuck his hand out of the cloak and motioned for her to follow. Intrigued, that's what she did.

We moved into a deserted hallway and uncloaked. She gasped at her present company! "Oh, my! Are you foolish? If they catch you here…" she was shaking her head, moving away.

"No! Wait…we won't be long. We just have a question. You're the ghost of Ravenclaw, right?" She nodded. "Alright then. We're looking for…whatever Ravenclaw left behind." It surprised us all when she laughed.

"Oh, darling. You and everyone else. I can be of no help to you." And she turned to go.

"Wait! Please. It's very important that we find…whatever it is. You want you-know-who finished, right?" Nice card, Harry!

She looked offended. "Of course I do!" she huffed.

"Then you have to help us. Whatever she left behind, we think he found first. We don't know how, so don't ask. But it's got some ties to him, and we have to break them. Understand?" Now she nodded. "Can you help us then?" She turned the corner, looking around.

"Listen carefully, for I'll only say this once. It's a diadem. A crown of sorts-my mother created it." I gasped.

"You're mother was the founder of Ravenclaw?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yes. But I stole it from her, and hid it away. A boy…many years ago…came and asked me the same thing you did. But he was very charming, and I told him where it was. Wherever he hid it is beyond my knowledge. That's al I can say." And with that, she glided away. I thought Harry would be angry at this. So we knew what we were looking for, and you-know-who had it first. But where was it now?

"I think I know where it is!" he shouted as he threw the cloak over the three of us. Hermione looked at him, cocking her head. "Remember that book I had last year? I hid it. The Room of Requirement! All kinds of things are hidden in there-it would be just like you-know-who to think he founded that room!" And then my face was alight with joy.

**I know I promised a longer chapter, but I thought that the Room of Requirement should stand on it's own. Please forgive me :)**


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